Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Paul Ladue skated in 27 games for Grand Forks Central HS in North Dakota as a junior. He scored 10 goals with 25 assists and had 18 penalty minutes. Central finished first in the East Region and were state champions; finishing with a 24-3 record. Ladue was selected by Lincoln in the 16th round (226th overall) of the 2010 USHL Entry Draft.

2010-11: Ladue joined the NAHL's Alexandria Blizzard, foregoing his senior season at Grand Forks Central to play junior hockey. He skated in 56 of 58 games for the Blizzard and scored 3 goals with 19 assists and 58 penalty minutes. Ladue's plus-18 plus/minus was second on the Blizzard behind Thomas Williams (+26). Alexandria finished first in the NAHL Central Division. Ladue played in three playoff games in the five-game series with Bismarck and was minus-two with 2 assists and 2 penalty minutes. Ladue was identified as a "Player to Watch" by Central Scouting but was not selected in the 2011 NHL Draft in his second year of eligibility.

2011-12: Ladue played for the USHL's Lincoln Stars and committed to playing college hockey at North Dakota in 2013-14. In 56 games for the Stars he led all Lincoln defensemen with 9 goals and had 25 assists; finishing plus-36 with 27 penalty minutes. Lincoln finished first in the West Division and reached the USHL playoff semifinals. In 8 playoff games Ladue was plus-two with 1 goal, 2 assists and 2 penalty minutes. Not among the 210 North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft, he was selected by Los Angeles in the sixth round (181st overall).

2012-13: LaDue was named the USHL's Defenseman of the Year following his second season with Lincoln. He led Stars defensemen in scoring with 12 goals and 37 assists in 62 regular season games and was +27 with 20 penalty minutes. The Stars finished fourth in the Western Conference and lost to Sioux Falls in a first-round playoff series. LaDue scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was an even plus/minus in five playoff games.

Talent Analysis

LaDue has shown an excellent all-around game in the USHL, particularly on the offensive side of the puck. He skates and moves the puck well and has a nice shot to go along with it. He could still improve upon his defensive zone play and pack on muscle, but LaDue has adjusted facets of his game quickly and successfully in the past.

Future

LaDue has surprised a lot of people so far and continues to improve. He has done it at the USHL level though, which is not exactly the highest level of competition. It is an understatement to say that LaDue is in for a real big test in 2013-14 as he is committed to play with the University of North Dakota and will begin his journey into a bigger world of hockey.

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Photo: Kings prospect Colin Miller improved his stock with a standout second season in the AHL. (courtesy of Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

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It is crazy what a difference a year can make for a hockey player. Hockey has ebbs and flows game to game, but sometimes year to year, as well. The Los Angeles Kings prospect pool has endured a lot of turnover in the last few seasons. As some old assets have come and gone, new faces have arrived and new players have risen. Read more»

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Photo: Roland McKeown has had a slow offensive start to 2014-15, but other areas of his game have not suffered (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

In recent years the Los Angeles Kings have brought in many players from the OHL, and it has been met with a fair amount of success. Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, Kyle Clifford, Andy Andreoff;. the list of OHL draftees is long and successful. That pattern has not changed, as the Kings have a staggering eight OHL prospects out of their pool of ten Junior prospects. Mark Yannetti, the Kings’ director of amateur scouting, and Clay Leibel, the club’s Ontario scout, seem to have a formula for success with OHL selections right now.Read more»

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Photo: Brayden McNabb has received significant ice time with the Kings in 2014-15 and looks to have found a home on the Los Angeles blue line. (courtesy of Harry How/Getty Images)

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Photo: The Hardest Worker award went to Kings winger Tanner Pearson, who skated in his first 25 career regular season NHL games in 2013-14 (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The Los Angeles Kings had several standout performances this year from the NCAA to the NHL. It was a pivotal transition year for many different players, and it appears that they were indeed ready to step up to the next level.